


Home

by EnigmaOfShipwreckIsland



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:02:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25166662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnigmaOfShipwreckIsland/pseuds/EnigmaOfShipwreckIsland
Summary: Link's ponders the meaning of home.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 67





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> If you're interested, I had Your Song by Elton John in mind as I wrote this.

_“Home”_

Link thought about the word as he sat on the roof, watching the rest of Hateno Village. What was “home”? Was it a place to sleep? Link had slept in plenty of inns and stables. He’d even slept by fires built in caves or in enemy hideouts. None of those places felt like somewhere he’d want to return, unlike the people he watched rushing into their houses as rain drops started falling from the sky.

Not even his own house in Hateno Village felt like home. Yes, it was more comfortable. Yes, it was his own place where he could sleep behind a locked door. His weapons and shields hung from the walls, but that was about all the decorating he had done, and even that was simply because he could only carry so much. All other decorating choices were made by Bolson. Link had no complaints. He had bigger concerns than what kind of flowers were planted in front of his house or the dishes that sat unused on the neglected table.

Link opened the door to the house, water dripping from his already drenched cloak from the current storm. Once again, he couldn’t help but to wonder if it really did always rain this much. It didn’t matter now. He didn’t have to scale mountains anymore. He did his part in defeating Ganon. He had collected enough rupees to last a while, and enough gemstones to sell for more. He could live out the rest of his life in the little village if he wanted.

If she wanted.

Princess Zelda sat at the table, having fallen dozed off while doing research. She had been trapped holding off Ganon for 100 years. With all of her knowledge being a century old, she said that she felt unfit to rule Hyrule. That the least she could do was attempt to learn as much about the different races before announcing her return. Link knew his princess though. He spent enough time guarding her before, and enough time watching her now to know. She loved learning and exploring. She preferred to pour over dusty books and crinkled scrolls in relative silence over being told the bare minimum by experts. She needed to know all of the facts herself. She needed to experience the world herself.

After hanging his cloak by the door, he slipped the bits of fabric Princess Zelda used as bookmarks into their respective books before closing them. One for every major race, each placed in a particular spot as though she had been looking at a map. Indeed, Link had stared at the map of Hyrule long enough to know that the positions were correct. He wondered if he should get her a copy of the map, preferably before she decided to saddle up and ride across the kingdom herself. Or would getting her a map encourage her to do just that?

Princess Zelda slept so peacefully, despite what had to be an uncomfortable position. She leaned on the table with her head tucked into her folded arms. Her golden-yellow hair was mostly behind her shoulder, though some of it had fallen in her face. Was that a smile on her lips?

Link stood there, unsure of what to do. She couldn’t be comfortable like that. He remembered his many nights by campfires, and how much his body ached the next day. Surely, the bed would be a much better place to sleep. But that would mean waking her up, and she looked so relaxed.

After fighting for so long, she needed as much rest as possible. But she would rest better in the bed upstairs…. He quickly double checked that his tunic was dry (it was) before carefully scooping Princess Zelda up into his arms. This was not his first time carrying her like this, though it had been a very long time. Still, he remembered her being heavier, or maybe all of the rock climbing and fighting had made him stronger? Having her this close made him feel warm inside. Not like the heat from warming elixirs or roasted chilies. This was a better warmth. It was the kind of warmth that existed only when she was around. He first felt it when he finally saw her and that dazzling smile broke across her face like the sun coming out after a storm. He felt it in every glance he caught from her as they rode from Hyrule Castle to his house in Hateno Village. Every touch, even the accidental brush as they tried to walk around each other, made that feeling grow stronger. It grew even warmer when she complimented his “home”. It was the warmest at that very moment, as he carried her up the wooden steps to the bed.

After pulling the soft blanket over Princess Zelda, Link pulled up the chair from the nearby desk. He had things to do, though nothing that needed to be done right at that very moment. Besides, it was still raining. Who could blame him from wanting to avoid getting wet? When the princess rolled onto her side, a lock of hair fell onto her face. Without thinking about it, Link reached over the back of his chair to tuck it back behind her ear. Not because it blocked his view of her beautiful face – no – but because it had to itch. Even if she did have the softest hair ever.

“Link…”

Link would have thought he imagined her saying his name if she hadn’t grabbed his hand. For a moment, he froze. Had he overstepped a boundary? Had he offended her? That moment was about as terrifying as when he faced Ganon, possibly even more. But Princess Zelda didn’t open her eyes. Instead, she pulled his hand closer to her face, her fingers interlocking with his. She held his rough, calloused, scabbed hand as though they were the most comforting thing in the world. A content smile appeared on her lips as she dreamed. A smile that was reflected on Link’s face as he rested his chin on the back of his chair.

_‘Maybe this is home?’_

**Author's Note:**

> I swear I was working on the next chapter of Paper Flowers (Yuri On Ice fic) when this happened. I had an extra document open to brainstorm the second half of the chapter...then somehow ended up over 500 words into this.


End file.
